The children were in a special home because their magic was too powerful for them to control. It was up to the new head of this place to help them learn to control it, before it destroyed them. -- The New Guy
The wards were enough to quell any outflare, including the ones that should have been impossible. Preparing for the unexpected saved lives here. The most important lives. The lives of the children who had an unexpectedly strong link to magical sources.
Those with inherent magic tend to leak when under emotional stress. Elves ooze. Hellkin warp shadows. Those are merely the effects that are well known. Many can do far worse than that.
Perdan taught them meditation. It was just a first step on the long path to handling their gifts. Sometimes, an extremely long journey. Such as the one this little tiny Archduke was supposed to be undertaking.
He was laughing, throwing off sparks that made him bounce and chuckle all the more. Trying to snatch them out of the air as he jumped.
Three years old. Completely Human. And possessing an innate magic that was stronger than most accomplished sorcerers. Were it not for the wards, he would be a risk to himself and everyone around him. Including his parents and caregivers, who had come with him for continuity.
There were parents who abandoned their troublesome young on the school doorsteps. Perdan was grateful the Prince was not one of those parents.
"Kaloyan? Your grace?" Perdan attempted to capture the kid's attention. A sparkling illusion did the trick. "If you will sit, please?"
"Wanna dance-dance," complained the toddler Archduke Kaloyan.
"Dance-dance later," said Perdan. He started the illusion waxing and waning in rhythm with the little Archduke's breath. "Can you help slow down the little flame?"
He was too young for any of the other methods. Keeping his attention was the big hurdle. Instilling breath control this way may yet take.
Kaloyan quickly learned that he couldn't just grab the flame, nor snuff it out. He learned that it was tied to his breath. Breathe in, it flexed outwards and sparked. Breathe out, it reduced to the size of a candle flame.
"Good," said Perdan, now tying the colour of the flame to the child's emotions. "Now. When you are calm and collected, the flame will be...?"
"Green," said Kaloyan, pointing.
"That's right. It is green. A nice, calm green. We like the green, don't we?"
Kaloyan considered this. "Eh. I like blue. Like momma's dresses."
"Very well," Perdan made it blue, and reset the colour profiles. "What colour do you think is angry?"
"Purple," said Kaloyan with certainty. "Issa colour of the mean man."
Perdan would have to talk about the "mean man" later. "So when you get mad, the flame will be purple. Just like the mean man. It's all right to feel angry, but it is never all right to be mean about it."
Kaloyan nodded in agreement.
"And sometimes, we can be angry and do mean things we don't mean. This is why we're working with the little flame together. So you don't get mean and not mean it."
Kaloyan said, "I set the mean man's cape on fire. I didn't mean it."
"Yes. That's why we're here. So you can find other ways than doing mean things by mistake."
The child sat properly, understanding the purpose of the lesson. "All right," he said. "I'm gonna work."
[Photo by Adam Kring on Unsplash]
If you like my stories, please Check out my blog and Follow me. Or share them with your friends!
Send me a prompt [97 remaining prompts!]